Tech

The coming app-pocalypse could kill some of the iPhone's greatest hits

The App Store could be just months away from a major shakeup that would render thousands of apps obsolete, including many of the iPhone's earliest success stories.

After more than a year of encouraging developers to update tens of thousands of apps that were never adjusted to support the 64-bit processors that debuted with the iPhone 5S, Apple appears poised to begin forcing developers' hands.

While previous versions of iOS have included tamer warnings upon launching apps built on older architecture, the latest version of the iOS 10 beta contains a new one: "this app will not work with future versions of iOS." (Previously, iOS simply warned "this app may slow down your iPhone.")

Put simply, rather than merely shaming developers with outdated apps, it looks like Apple will effectively brick these apps once iOS 11 rolls out.

It looks like Apple will effectively brick these apps once iOS 11 rolls out.

While it's difficult to say for sure how many of the App Store's apps haven't been updated to support 64-bit processors, the data we have suggests tens of thousands of apps could be affected.

Though Apple began supporting 64-bit code with the iPhone 5S in 2013, the company didn't begin requiring developers to support the code in new apps and updates until 2015. This means there's a good chance that any app that hasn't been updated in two or more years is still running on 32-bit code.

That might sound like a long time to go without an update, but there are a huge number of apps that fall into this category. Twenty-eight percent of apps in the App Store have not been updated in at least two years, according to a report last fall from app analytics company Sensor Tower. (Apple removed more than 47,000 of these soon after, according to the firm.)

Image: Sensor Tower

Now, this issue of "app rot" is a very real problem. Having thousands of old, crappy apps cluttering the App Store adds little value. Still, the change could kill a number of classic apps that first helped make the iPhone a success.

The change could kill a number of classic apps that first helped make the iPhone a success.

Apps like Ocarina and Great Lightsaber, among the greatest iPhone apps of all time, would be on the chopping block. Games, particularly those from indie developers, could be especially hard hit by the move.

Ridiculous Fishing, Hundreds and Peggle Classic helped put iPhone gaming on the map and still have loyal followings, even if they haven't received significant updates in years. But these developers, most of whom have long since moved on to other projects, are now faced with a difficult decision: put the needed time and effort into updating these apps or disappoint longtime fans who will have to choose between keeping iOS up to date or playing the games.

For many, it's not a simple choice. Making the necessary changes to a single game may take only a few days, but the time quickly adds up if you have multiple apps that need attention, notes Adam Saltsman, cofounder of Finji, the studio behind indie hits like Canabalt, Hundreds and Aquaria.

"It's a non-trivial amount of maintenance cost not to add any new features, just keep the thing available," Saltsman says.

"We're going to have to just do the math on it," he says of his own games, like Hundreds. "At some point, we have to weigh not just are we executing on what we feel is a reasonable creative or generous responsibility to the players who have supported us in the past, but can we justify taking a bunch of time away from our current projects. It's a little bit of a zero sum thing."

Sure, developers who still make significant revenue from older apps may be more likely to make the change ahead of the launch of iOS 11. But, for many more, Apple's ultimatum will almost certainly be a death sentence.

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